“And each man said to his mate, “Come, let us cast lots so we may learn on whose account this calamity has struck us.” So they cast lots and the lot fell on Jonah. Then they said to him, “Tell us, now! On whose account has this calamity struck us? What is your occupation? And where do you come from? What is your country? From what people are you?” And he said to them, “I am a Hebrew, and I fear the LORD God of heaven who made the sea and the dry land. Then the men became extremely frightened and they said to him, “How could you do this?” For the men knew that he was fleeing from the presence of the LORD, because he had told them.” Jonah 1:7-10
Jonah was “found out”. The other sailors discovered that they were experiencing God’s judgment due to Jonah’s disobedience, and they were not happy about it, to put it lightly!
Often times, we forget that God sees everything… those sins that we commit in secret, those sins we commit in our hearts…we forget that our God is a God of light and that He will bring all that is done in darkness to the light.
However, what is remarkable about Jonah is that he immediately recognizes his sin. In fact, this marks a turning point in his life. Upon the discovery of Jonah’s sin and the confrontation that took place on the boat, instead of giving excuses and blaming others for his sin, Jonah took responsibility and admitted who he was. He realized that He could not continue to run away from God, and that it was time to step up in faith:
“So they said to him, “What should we do to you that the sea may become calm for us?” — for the sea was becoming increasingly stormy. And he said to them, “Pick me up and throw me into the sea. Then the sea will become calm for you, for I know that on account of me this great storm has come upon you.” Jonah 1:11-12
Jonah realized his personal responsibility for his actions against his God and he was willing to pay the price for them in order that the other peoples’ lives would be spared.
In closing, I want to emphasize that everything we do in darkness will be brought to the light. Please do not think that you are exempt from God’s principles! There is a very heavy price for our sin; in Jonah’s case, he was willing to pay the price for his own actions. Are you willing to take responsibility for your own actions? More importantly, are you willing to make the necessary reparations?
The GOOD NEWS is that our Messiah has paid the price for our sins! He died so that we may live. He took upon Himself the punishment of us all…we only need to receive His atonement to live in the freedom He gives. Why wait until God will rock our boats? Let’s start to take responsibility today, and live free from the weight of our sin.
Shabbat shalom,
Moran
2 Comments on “Running Away: Taking Responsibility for Our Sin”
While I have been aware (at least in part) of the truth of what you’ve written above for many years–thank you, Thank You, for reminding us of these very important things, especially at this very late hour when our Messiah will without doubt very soon appear.
Shabbat shalom, indeed! G-d bless you!
Ray S
I Thank Almighty G-d for the privilege of being able to receive such insight into the meaning of His Word. Truly I have been refreshed and humbled by these lessons from Jonah. It has resulted in a good soul searching and repentence for things I was taking for granted. G-d is G-d, and He is a Holy G-d. Thank You for this teaching, it has convicted me where I needed to be convicted. I have asked for forgiveness and renewed my relationship with my Father, in Jesus Name. I will continue to study with this website to grow into more maturity.
G-d Bless All Of You In Jesus Name
Anita W